1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to ice detectors for sensing icing as a function of melting of ice on a detector surface.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Icing detectors for air vehicles which heat a detection surface and measure thermal heat of fusion either during melting or refreezing of the deposited ice are known. In such ice detectors, it is difficult to accurately measure heat loss due to thermal heat of fusion because there are variable losses from other sources which add or subtract from the heat of fusion and cause errors in measurement. These other losses include convective heat loss due to varying airspeed, air temperature, and air density as well as heat loss to structures supporting the ice detector. There is thus a need to provide a more accurate measure of heat of fusion as an indication of icing.